CH 15

I wake up to a heavy feeling on my shoulder. Ha Won is resting his head on me. I shift my body a little since Ha Won’s neck seems to be hurting, and I move his head closer to me in case he slips. My throat is dry. I can’t stop coughing.

“Are you awake?”

Director Lee asked.

“Director?”

“You said you liked the passenger seat, but you sat in the back. I’m a little sad.”

Director Lee laughed. In the dark countryside outside the window, the Han River flows silently. Over the waves, a yellow light flashes.

“I’m on my way to Joo-hyuk-ssi’s house now.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Because of Won, you drank a lot today. Sorry for the inconvenience. I think Joo-hyuk and I were the only ones who drank it too.”

“Ha Won-ssi was very cute.”

“Right. He is a younger sibling with a big age difference.”

“And an Omega.”

I sigh. My breath smells like alcohol.

“Did you know I have a younger sister?”

Director Lee chuckled.

“I know. You told me.”

“Joo-young was very sick when she was young. My family once rushed to the hospital after hearing that she had fainted.”

I have a headache. I press against my temples with my hands.

“That was when I had my midterm exam. It was the one where your grade would be taken into consideration… But I just left. I was afraid Kim Joo-young would really die. Because she always faints…”

The cause of the condition was unknown. She was probably just prone to fainting. Kim Joo-young often fainted on the road. Herbal medicine, which is said to be beneficial to the body, was fed to her constantly. There was a time when my new year money was used for Kim Joo-young’s medicine. We even fed snake wine to a kid who had just graduated from elementary school. Perhaps that’s why Kim Joo-young has a very vicious personality.

Kim Joo-young, who cried every day because she was sick, and Kim Joo-young, who said school was scary.

“Strangely, when I see Ha Won-ssi, it reminds me of my gorilla.”

I rested my cheek on top of Ha Won’s head. It’s warm.

“I’d like to live a normal life.”

“…”

“I also want Kim Joo-young to be able to live a normal life.”

“…Joo-hyuk-ssi, get some sleep. There’s still some time till we arrive.”

“Both of you should also live a normal life. Don’t live as hard as other Alphas and Omegas.”

“…”

“No pain, just normal…”

I thought I was about to fall asleep again when the car door opened.

“Joo-hyuk-ssi, we have arrived. Come here.”

Director Lee opened the car door and stretched out his arm. He whispered in Ha Won’s ear.

“You don’t have to continue pretending to be asleep.”

Ha Won opened his eyes. There was a sense of playfulness in Ha Won’s voice.

“Since when did you know?”

Ha Won’s hair that was scattered across his forehead had shifted to the side.

“Cute. You look like a gorilla.”

My body wobbles a little when I come out, and Director Lee supports me.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’ll go in.”

“Don’t overdo it. Please let me know if there is anything difficult at work. In particular, um, let me know if there’s any trouble because of Alphas or Omegas.”

I nod at Director Lee’s words.

“Oh, and I’m not interested in getting into a relationship.”

“Don’t worry about it. Because it’s painful.”

“Really, really, I won’t.”

“All right. Go in.”

I wave my hand and smile as wide as I can. Director Lee waves at me as well. Maybe we’ve actually become real friends. Since I’m waving my hand like this.

It seems that I and Director Lee are friends. I don’t understand, but we must be friends. We can be friends. Friend. Ki-do is also my friend.

I hit my head against the elevator wall, entered the door password, and walked into the house.

It’s a little strange. Something doesn’t feel right. Something is strange, but I’m not sure what it is. The bathroom light turned on and Ki-do came out.

“Seol Ki-do, didn’t you go home yet?”

“Did you drink?”

“Yeah. I drank a little.”

“Go in and sleep.”

“Yeah.”

I buried myself in the blanket and thought, It starts tomorrow. I’m going to make sure I put a stop to all the love around me from now on. I’m not going to live a life ruled by Alphas and Omegas.

***

I open my eyes wide. My stomach is churning. And my legs are heavy. I turn my head to see a sculptural, handsome man sleeping next to me, snoring. Ki-do is snoring a little.

I push Ki-do’s legs off mine and get up. I wake up at dawn whenever I drink. It’s 6 o’clock when I check the phone. The battery’s almost run out. I look around. It’s a mess. A very strange mess.

“What… you woke up…?”

“Ki-do…”

“Uh…”

“Why am I at your house?”

“I don’t know…”

Ki-do began snoring again. I lay down again.

***

It’s Friday today.

I sleep for an extra hour and wake up with a fresh mind. I put on a short-sleeved shirt that I took from Ki-do’s drawer. I’m pretty sure I’ll find my underwear if I look around.

I look through Ki-do’s drawer and really find a pair. I bought a new one because I thought I lost it. I was wondering where I lost it; turns out it was at Ki-do’s house. I guess some of Ki-do’s shorts are circulating in my house as well.

“Hey, Ki-do. Did you wear this?”

“I did… I have a meeting at three o’clock… ”

“I’m going insane.”

Ki-do and I used to visit each other’s house whenever we wanted. We are friendly with each other, and there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. As we live alone, I think we are the only ones who visit each other’s houses when we are bored.

Besides, the password for Ki-do’s house is 2580. It’s the same as mine. Come to think of it, it seems that we both set our passwords too recklessly. Maybe thieves will be dumbfounded enough to not be able to come in.

I change my clothes and put the laundry in the washing machine. I also drink some coffee from the cupboard.

After scratching my head a bit, I go into the bathroom.

I wash my hair with cold water and make up my mind. I’m not going to fall in love, and I’m not going to have a complicated life. Minimalism. Minimalism, retirement, and Hawaii are the goals and essence of my life. Ha Won and Lee Si-hyun’s faces will be washed away with the foam.

I’m not going to be swayed.

I need to take a bus to the company from Ki-do’s house. The thought of boarding a crowded bus is stressful. When I get to the bus stop, I notice someone handing out a flyer.

“Come for a workout.”

It’s already crowded in the morning. There’s no need for me to take it, so I move to the side.

“Come for a workout!”

A bright voice can be heard from below. It looks like he is still a student. I look a little more carefully; maybe a high school student? His hands are small. There is a flyer with the words ‘3 months just 100,000 won’ written on it.

A passerby takes the flyer. I’m thinking about getting one, but I’m shy. While attempting to take the flyer from the envelope, the student drops it. The flyers scattered to the ground. A couple slid under the bus stop chair as well. Some are even swirling in the wind.

“Ah, no…”

The student knelt to pick up the scattered flyers. I look out on the road for a moment to see if the bus is coming, then bend down to the ground on my knees. There’s no reason I can’t help. I pick up a flyer that had fallen to the ground and give it to the student. He dropped quite a lot. I’m wondering if he can hand them out later because a few are crumpled and ripped. Although it is a free gift event, they will not exchange ripped copies.

‘The bus will arrive soon…’

My bus will arrive shortly. I quickly pick up some more flyers and take out my bus card. I reach out my hand to the flyer in front of me and my hand overlaps with the student’s. His hand is very cold. I lower my hand and grab the flyer. The student, who had stood still for a moment, withdrew his hand in surprise.

“I’m sorry.”

I pick up the flyer and hand it over without saying much. The fingertips of the student receiving the flyer are red.

“I… I will be here tomorrow as well.”

The student says this and bows his head. I can see a blue bus approaching. I have to ride that bus. I quickly stand up.

“Oh, good luck.”

That’s a lot of work. I think I only studied when I was in high school.

I look back as I get on the bus. The student’s gaze remained fixed on me. He needs to distribute it swiftly so that he can get home early.

The morning bus is nothing special. Although winter is not over yet, the air is muggy. I want to open the window, but I can’t reach the window. It reminds me of the fox and the grapes. If I open the window, it will be cold. The air will be clear, but it will be cold…

The bus shook suddenly, and I stagger a bit. I’m standing blankly, holding the handle, when I hear someone whisper.

“Hold it in a little longer.”

I guess he is getting off soon. Soon there’s a sound of suppressed pain. I glance to the side and make eye contact with the man. The man quickly turned his head away. His ears are very red.

The bus door opens just when I’m about to turn around. People rushed in, and I’m stuck staring at the man again. The man turned his head to face me. Then another man held his waist and glared at me.

The man whose waist was being held by the other was shrinking. I take a quick glance and then gaze ahead again because it’s uncomfortable. The other man’s furious gaze is still fixed on me.

That silent, unintentional fight with the man continues for a while. It’s funny to put my head down like this. The other side deliberately turns around and looks at me. To turn my head, I have to turn my whole body. But I can’t; I’m stuck. I want to turn, but when I moved my foot before, I bumped into someone else’s shoes.

The person sitting in front of the two opens the window with an arrogant expression. I look at the person in front of me. This person didn’t open the window because it was hot. When I look down, all he does is look up at me for a moment. I turn my head back to its original position because I’m embarrassed.

The man continues to stare at me. He hugged the man in his arms as if hiding him. I think he is jealous. It’s not like I’m looking at him because I like him.

I decide to use that as a last resort. I’m not good at this, but I don’t know what kind of courage I have. This is the method that Kim Joo-young taught me.

First of all, I must confirm that no one else other than that man is staring at me. This is a method that I truly don’t want to use.

I made up my mind and put on a monkey-like expression as much as I can. I stretch my philtrum and gather my eyes. I think of Kim Joo-young. I also stick out my tongue a little. I switch back to being expressionless after 3 seconds.

The absurd man turns his head and desperately tries to hold back his laughter. The man’s shoulders are trembling. It’s my victory, though I really didn’t want to win like this.

The woman in front of them fanned her hands, then turned to face the man and said,

“Hey, keep your pheromones under control. What are you doing when there are so many people?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

The man in his arms apologizes. The man who had been smiling until then nodded his head. The bus stops. The two people get off. Earlier, the woman spoke to herself.

“I’m going crazy, even since morning…”

You shouldn’t cause a nuisance on a bus full of office workers. Those two must have learned a lesson today.

Thanks to the people rushing through, I’m able to turn my body straight ahead. I can see the people passing by through the window. The tall man placed his face against the ear of the short man. He walked quickly while the small man ran.

Either way, I win.

The person in front of me got up after rummaging through his bag. I quickly take a seat. I don’t have to sit down, but it feels good to sit for a while. Today started off quite well.